ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 25, 1997 TAG: 9703250080
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG
SOURCE: LISA APPLEGATE THE ROANOKE TIMES
A musical tradition has developed a second purpose: helping a local family in crisis.
Four months ago, Wesley Jones was in a car accident that left him in a coma.
Today, the Christiansburg High School senior is still struggling to pull out of his prolonged unconsciousness. His family is struggling to cope with medical costs and the purchase of equipment Jones will need once he comes home.
Tonight, students from his high school, plus pupils from area middle and elementary schools, will perform together to raise money for the Jones family.
The spring concert has been a tradition for the past five years, said high school choral teacher Charlotte Smith. For the second year in a row, the school has been adding another tradition: donations.
Last year, the concert-goers contributed $1,500 to a fund for the children of Angie Knowles. The active school volunteer and mother of four had been a strong supporter of the choral boosters, Smith said. Because she was killed weeks before the concert, the school decided to dedicate it to Knowles.
This year, the dedication will go to Jones.
On Nov. 22, Jones suffered a brain injury after the car he was riding in went out of control on Clearview Drive off Radford Street. The car flew up about 40 feet and slammed Jones into a utility pole.
He stayed in Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital until January, when he was transferred to the Kluge Children's Rehabilitation Center in Charlottesville. Another New River Valley child, Jason Rooker, has also been undergoing therapy at the center for brain damage after accidentally hanging himself at his family's Claytor Lake home.
Jones' mother, Sarah, said he has progressed slowly, and can only respond to questions by blinking his eyes. She said her son has had to battle pneumonia, infections, a fever and a blood clot in his legs.
"It's just one thing after another," she said during a phone interview from Charlottesville. "The doctors say every brain is different, so we just have to wait."
She said she's hoping Medicare will cover some of her son's medical costs. But because of a new law that limits the federal assistance program, Wes Jones may not qualify.
Sarah Jones quit her job to spend all her time with Wes. When he does come home, she plans to move into a small house equipped with chair lifts, wider doors and other equipment essential to taking care of her son. His father, Jimmy, and younger brother, Landon, will stay in their present home.
A fund for such costs has been established at the First National Bank in Christiansburg.
Tonight, about 400 pupils - from Christiansburg Middle School, Belview, Falling Branch and Christiansburg elementary schools - will sing about the importance of music. An art exhibit from those schools will be displayed, too.
"So often you see the arts doing this kind of thing to raise money for causes," said Smith. "My students and I decided we should do the same."
"The Love of a Song" choral concert at Christiansburg High School begins tonight at 7 in the auditorium.
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Jonesby CNB